Jose Guadalupe Posada Re-Strike Print Theft Of Profesa

Description

"El Robo de la Profesa" (The Theft of the Profesa) was the title of the original broadside illustrated by this image by the great Mexican master engraver Jose Guadalupe Posada. Printed on fine cotton paper from the original plates by the Taller de Grafica Popular after they were discovered by Pablo O'Higgins.

The sensationalist note based on this engraving by José Guadalupe Posada recounts the famous and profane assault on the temple of La Profesa, a historic and important Baroque temple located in the center of Mexico City (belonging to the Jesuits and later to the Oratorians of San Felipe Neri). In the robbery, an organized gang of thieves entered the temple's premises to seize valuable ecclesiastical treasures, including sacred vessels of gold and silver, jewels, relics, and the alms money kept in the sacristy and in the priests' rooms. During the assault, the criminals brutally subdued and gagged the religious figures to prevent them from raising the alarm, an event that caused enormous shock and indignation among the Catholic society of the time due to the desecration of the sacred enclosure.

Location of copies and preservation in the collection of engravings and popular prints at the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).